Having children...

This topic was anticipated by Ji Mingzhu and Xie Yunzhen even before returning to the capital.

They didn’t know if there would be any unexpected issues next.

Ji Mingzhu cast a faint glance at Xie Yunzhen, signaling for him to handle the trouble himself.

She then walked over to Mrs. Guan’s side, "Aunt."

Mrs. Guan chuckled softly, holding Ji Mingzhu’s hand and giving it a pat.

Correcting her, she said, "You can’t call me Aunt anymore, or else Zimu and Zishan will get confused over whether to call me Great Aunt or Aunt."

Zimu and Zishan didn’t want a younger sibling.

They had heard from their father that when their mother gave birth to them, she suffered greatly.

And she lost a lot of blood.

They didn’t want their mother to have another child.

Upon hearing their names, they broke free from the Old Lady’s hand simultaneously, ran to Ji Mingzhu’s side, and hugged her leg.

"Mom, we don’t want a younger brother or sister."

When the Old Lady called them, they turned their backs to her, refusing to respond.

Princess An He smiled as she watched, feeling that her grandchildren were on the same page as her.

The people she disliked, the two little ones also disliked!

Supporting the Old Lady’s arm, she said, "Mother-in-law, let me take you back. Zimu Zishan rarely come back, they should meet their relatives, don’t occupy all their time."

The Old Lady nearly lost her composure.

These two little ones were clearly avoiding staying with her, under the guise of meeting relatives.

She had only asked Ji Mingzhu to have more children, yet these little ones were so ungrateful.

With more siblings, they would have support in case of any future issues!

She secretly glared at Ji Mingzhu.

There was no need to even think, it must have been her badmouthing behind the scenes, deliberately making Zimu and Zishan not listen to her.

The Old Lady felt she lost face and didn’t try to coax the little ones anymore.

Instead, she let Princess An He assist her as they walked toward the mansion.

Thinking to herself, she needed to find an opportunity to take the little ones to stay at Crane Dance Hall.

To properly correct their attitudes.

Showing a sulking face in front of elders and hindering Ah Zhen from having descendants.

This cannot continue!

Ji Mingzhu knew her children well.

She never tried to flatter the Old Lady in the past, and she certainly wouldn’t start now.

She didn’t force her kids to follow the Old Lady.

"Quick, greet everyone."

The two little ones were very clever, recognizing Mrs. Guan, Xie Yunling, and Lan Ci at a glance.

"Great Aunt."

"Little Aunt."

"Little Uncle."

"..."

The people often mentioned by their parents, they could match names with faces and never called anyone by the wrong title.

Finally, under Ji Mingzhu’s hint, they addressed, "Aunt."

The new wife, Mrs. Li, standing next to Mrs. Guan, immediately took out red envelopes and handed them to the little ones.

"Aunt wasn’t sure what you like, so take this to buy something you love."

The siblings looked over at Ji Mingzhu, eyes full of inquiry.

"Quick, thank Aunt."

This was a sign of approval.

The little ones happily accepted the red envelopes and thanked Mrs. Li.

Mrs. Li patted their heads, then straightened up and for the first time faced Ji Mingzhu directly, looking straight into her eyes.

She knew her husband had liked Ji Mingzhu, and perhaps to this day, she still occupied a place in his heart.

Even her mother-in-law and sister-in-law at home were very fond of Ji Mingzhu.

Mrs. Li naturally wasn’t foolish enough to oppose her.

After all, this was the Duke Mansion, and Ji Mingzhu was the Duchess, the future head mistress of the Xie family.

Their second branch was still living in the Duke Mansion, but once the Old Lady passed, they might split the family.

If they offended Ji Mingzhu, given Xie Yunzhen’s wife-pampering demeanor, their branch might end up with nothing.

Mrs. Li smiled and said, "Elder Sister-in-law, you must be tired from this journey, head back to rest, the Commandery Princess has prepared a welcome feast."

Mrs. Guan laughed and agreed, "Hurry back home, or it’ll get dark."

Not seeing Xie Yunxuan, Ji Mingzhu didn’t ask directly, guessing he might have been caught up in duties.

She placed Zimu and Zishan’s little hands into Mrs. Guan’s, "Don’t be fooled by their size, they’re quite the rascals. This journey nearly drove Ah Zhen crazy, he almost spanked them several times. It’s better to be home with many people to help watch the kids, so we can sneak some rest."

Mrs. Guan firmly held onto the little ones, her affection evident in her eyes.

"It’s okay for children to be a bit naughty, as long as they’re healthy."

While speaking, she instinctively observed Zishan.

When he was born, Zishan wasn’t in good health, Ah Zhen had written about it, and the Commandery Princess had been worried to tears.

Now, he seemed much better.

Though still a bit shorter than Zimu, compared to poor families’ skinny and small children, Zishan looked much sturdier.

As they walked toward the mansion, she asked about their journey and experiences.

Mrs. Li followed, helping to watch over the two children.

Ji Mingzhu and Xie Yunzhen stayed behind, walking side by side with Xie Yunling and her husband.

Finally having a chance to speak with Ji Mingzhu, Xie Yunling was delighted.

As usual, she clung to Ji Mingzhu’s arm tightly, "Sister Mingzhu, how long will you stay this time?"

Addressing this topic right after reuniting, Mrs. Guan turned back to scold her, "Don’t spoil the mood."

Xie Yunling scoffed, "I also don’t want Sister Mingzhu to leave, but some things can’t be ignored by simply closing your eyes and covering your ears."

Farewells were always so sad, but adults all had their reasons, and since they started their own families, separations had become common.

Time couldn’t turn back, they could never be together every day like in their childhood.

Mrs. Guan chided her, "Your sharp tongue, I can’t win against you."

Holding the little ones’ hands, she continued forward, muttering, "Don’t learn from your Little Aunt, she only knows how to tease."

Zimu hopped around, "No teasing, no teasing, if you make yourself sick, you’ll have to drink medicine and eat plain porridge."

Mrs. Guan was amused by her, "Where did you learn to say that?"

"My dad always gets angry, and my mom says this to him." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The little girl couldn’t keep secrets, her small mouth quickly shared how Xie Yunzhen was a jealous and easily angered man.

Mrs. Guan was speechless, "How old is he, still acting like a child?"

Xie Yunzhen was extremely embarrassed.

Unnoticeably, he gave his daughter a look, signaling her not to reveal more about him.

Zimu covered her mouth, giving him a triumphant look.

As if saying, if he didn’t behave, she would continue to spill his secrets!

Xie Yunzhen felt a headache, "She’s not even three yet, who knows what’s in that head of hers, always running wild. If you listen to her, aren’t you afraid she’ll mislead you?"

He said so, which made Mrs. Guan more fond of Zimu.

"Not many three-year-olds are this articulate, Zimu is quite remarkable, what she says must be true."

Mrs. Guan suddenly remembered Xie Yunzhen’s childhood; he was not talkative but just as clever as Zimu.

At a young age, he spoke and acted with great maturity.

One couldn’t help but marvel, "The traits from one’s roots are truly miraculous."

Zimu couldn’t understand.

Assuming she was being praised again, she beamed, "My dad has thin skin, I won’t tease him anymore."

Xie Yunzhen couldn’t help but laugh, giving his daughter a thumbs up.

He indeed had thin skin, blushing a bit at the moment.

The adults present all fell silent.

Xie Yunzhen having thin skin...

Maybe he’d only fool a child!